Energy Brief: Week in Review & What’s Ahead

Week in Review

The Environmental Protection Agency gave states another year to comply with ozone standards set by the Obama administration.

The Department of the Interior will review the Obama administration’s rule protecting the sage grouse, a rare Western bird.

The Trump administration proposed allowing seismic tests to search for oil and gas reserves under the Atlantic Ocean.

Republicans slam proposed Interior budget

Republican House members criticized the White House budget proposal for suggested cuts to a coal-reclamation program, to national parks, and to Native American health and education programs. Zinke defended it as a “starting point” for “what a balanced budget would look like.”

Agency nominees move forward

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced four nominations to the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

More Paris fallout

California and China signed an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, following President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris agreement.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry reassured his Japanese counterpart during a visit in Tokyo that the U.S. is committed to environmental issues and moving toward clean energy.

What’s Ahead

It is unclear when President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether to rescind or alter the designation of Bears Ears National Park in Utah, but Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke delivered his recommendation to the White House on Saturday.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on his agency’s requested budget. Last week, Democrats focused heavily on the administration’s climate policies at an Interior appropriations hearing.